Impact-illuminated target for pleasure-shooting.



W. H. BUELL. IMPACT ILLUMINATED TARGET FOR PLEASURE SHOOTING APPLICATIONFILED GOT-11 1913.

Patented Mar. 24, 1914.

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH c0., WASHINGTON. D. c.

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. BUELL, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WINCHESTERREPEATING ARMS 00., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

IMPACT-ILLUMINATED TARGET FOR PLEASURE-SHOOTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 24:, 1914.

Application filed October 11, 1913. Serial No. 794,592.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BUELL, acitizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county ofNew Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Impact- Illuminated Targets for Pleasure-Shooting; and Ido hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which saiddrawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in

Figure 1 a view in front elevation of a target prepared in accordancewith my invention. Fig. 2 a view thereof in vertical section on the lineab of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 a view in elevation of a target, illustrating itsmomentary illumination on the impact of an ordinary bullet.

My invention relates to an improvement in targets for pleasure-shooting,the object being to adapt a target to be momentarily illuminated aboutthe point of the impact of a bullet by the action thereof, for theinformation of the user of the gun from which. the bullet was fired.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a target having itsimpact-surface treated with a fiashlight composition igniting on theimpact of the bullet to produce a circumscribed illumination of thetarget about the point of the impact of the bullet upon its surface.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a target 2 which may be made ofiron or any other material suitable for the purpose. As these targetsare used for pleasure-shooting, they may be made on a large or on asmall scale. If desired, they may be given a pictorial character,simulating hunting or other scenes. The square target illustrated in thedrawings is, then, merely illustrative and not definitive. The outer orimpactsurface of the target is prepared with a thin, superficial coating3 of any one of a great variety of flash-light compositions adapted incharacter to be momentarily ignited in a copies of this patent may beobtained for circumscribed area on the impact of a bullet. As an exampleof such a preparation, I may instance a composition of chlorate ofpotash, magnesium and collodion applied by an ordinary brush. I wish itunderstood, however, that I do not limit myself to the employment of anyparticular flash-light compositlon. When a bullet hits the preparedsurface of my improved target, the composition is immediately ignited atthe point of impact with the production of a momentary flash of light,whereby a circumscribed area around the point of impact is illuminated,giving the person holding the gun from which the bullet was firedinformation as to the exact point upon the target, hit. I should say,further, that the character of the composition is such that the ignitiondoes not spread over the entire surface. but confines itself closely tothe portion of the surface actually hit by the bullet. It will bedesirable to recoat the target from time 7 to time with the composition,since any point on its surface that has once been ignited will not beignited on being hit a second time, unless recoated in the interval. Byrecoating the target, it can be used indefi nitely. In Fig. 3 of thedrawings, the action of the bullet upon the surface of the target isillustrated by four illuminated areas 4.

I claim As a new article of manufacture, an im pact-illuminated targetfor pleasureshooting, having its impact surface prepared with aflash-light composition ignited by the impact of a bullet at the pointof the impact thereof with the said surface, whereby a circumscribedarea about the point of impact is illuminated and the user of the gunfrom which the bullet was fired informed of the point hit.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. BUELL.

Witnesses THOMAS C. JOHNSON, M. P. NIoHoLs.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G." 1

